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Atlanta transplant Sue Alfonso may not have been born in Charlotte, but she has lived a lifetime in its boundaries. Here, the AirTran Airways' customer service supervisor explains Charlotte's charms.

What makes Charlotte so unique?

Charlotte is large, but it has a small hometown feeling to it. I always miss it when I’m away—having lunch there with the girls, going shopping—it’s one of the most beautiful cities in the world to me. Wherever I’ve been or wherever I go, there is nowhere like Charlotte, especially in the springtime. You’ve got dogwoods, rhododendrons and azaleas on Queens Road, and they make you just want to go “aww!” and turn around and look back at them. When everything is blooming, I think “I’m so glad I live here.”

The dish on Charlotte’s dishes.

There is not one particular local dish, but a variety of dishes. Morton’s steakhouse is good but expensive; anywhere from $60 to $75. If you get into the French restaurant Zebra, go with the nightly chef’s tasting menu; seven to 10 different courses that can range from $50 to $75. The Ri-Ra Irish Pub & Restaurant is also very popular now. Charlotte is really known for its hole-in-the-wall seafood places, where you can go for BBQ.

Any ideas for daytripping?

Lake Wylie and Lake Norman are very beautiful, and a trip to James Polk’s birthplace, just south of Charlotte, is interesting. The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, just across the bridge from Charlotte in the Belmont area, is a good place to see if you’re visiting for a day. After a day of sightseeing, go to Freedom Park, a good place to relax before heading toward the nightlife in the South Park or Uptown areas.

Charlotte has become one of the biggest banking cities in the nation, what other things can one take away from the area, besides money?

There’s nothing you could want that you couldn’t find in the South Park and Uptown shopping areas. The region also has a very rich historical and industrial background. Furniture markets abound all around Charlotte in places like Hickory—you can’t buy better furniture anywhere in the world. There are a lot of antiques to be found too, especially along the roadsides. You just have to seek the best places out through sightseeing.

What about kids, anything to catch their fancy?

There’s Carowinds, a big amusement park split between South Carolina and North Carolina that’s very much like the Six Flags theme parks. And there’s the Discovery Place science center in the downtown area that even adults enjoy. Driving from Charlotte in any direction, you can find a new adventure. The mountains are an hour away, and you can see Chimney Rock, get in a lot of antiquing, and view arts and crafts like quilting. The beach is a few hours the other way, and then there’s Dollywood and Tweetsie Railroad—a lot of family entertainment.

With so many things to do here, any advice on how to get and keep your bearings?

In this “Queen City of the South,” just remember that Tryon Street runs north to south, and Trade Street runs east to west.

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